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CARICOM Development Fund and Afreximbank Sign Grant Agreement to Establish Green, Resilience and Sustainability Facility

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CARICOM

By offering flexible financial solutions, the fund empowers CARICOM member states to invest in critical infrastructure, climate adaptation projects, and sustainable development initiative

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, February 27, 2025/APO Group/ –The CARICOM Development Fund (CDF) and African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com) have signed a €708,000 Grant Agreement to support the development of a Green, Resilience, and Sustainability Facility (GRSF). The agreement was formalized during the plenary session of the 48th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM, recently held at the Wyndham Grand Barbados Sam Lord’s Castle.

The GRSF’s commitment to providing blended financing, concessional financing, and other commercial funding options directly supports CARICOM’s development by enhancing regional resilience, sustainability, and economic adaptability. By offering flexible financial solutions, the fund empowers CARICOM member states to invest in critical infrastructure, climate adaptation projects, and sustainable development initiatives. This strategic approach aligns with CARICOM’s vision for a more resilient and self-sufficient region, ensuring long-term growth while mitigating environmental and economic vulnerabilities.

Mr. Rodinald Soomer, CEO at the CARICOM Development Fund emphasized the importance of the partnership in advancing the Caribbean’s sustainability agenda. “This grant from Afreximbank will enable the CDF to strengthen its support for CARICOM Member States as they navigate the pressing environmental and economic challenges of our time. The Green, Resilience, and Sustainability Facility is a critical step towards ensuring long-term resilience and economic sustainability.”

This grant from Afreximbank will enable the CDF to strengthen its support for CARICOM Member States as they navigate the pressing environmental and economic challenges of our time

On his part, Prof Benedict Oramah, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank, remarked that: “GRSF will provide a means of catalyzing and mobilizing investments to support Caribbean countries that are facing economic and fiscal challenges arising from the impact of frequent and intense adverse weather phenomena associated with climate change. It will also act as a mechanism to finance climate-related loss and damage and build resilience that will mitigate impacts and empower Caribbean Community member states to withstand these challenges, working towards closing the regions US$20 billion resilience financing shortfall.”

Afreximbank and the CDF solidified their strategic partnership in August 2023 through a Memorandum of Understanding and the CDF’s acquisition of shares in the multilateral development Bank, demonstrating a mutual commitment to future collaboration.

The grant agreement was signed at the 48th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM which brought together regional leaders to discuss pressing issues, including economic recovery, climate action, and sustainable development. The signing of the Grant Agreement marks a significant milestone in strengthening regional and international cooperation for sustainable growth.

The CDF recognizes that as the region’s development challenges become more complex, many can best be solved through market-based solutions. CDF’s Financial Innovation team is working to expand collaboration with various sectors and establish pioneering approaches that catalyze investments within disadvantaged countries, regions, sectors, and communities.

Increasingly, investors and businesses are looking at emerging markets for new opportunities. However, investing in these markets is complex, and the CDF has an important role to play in mobilising investment into high-impact areas.  Encouraging these investments requires new forms of collaboration. The CDF has engaged with several partners to collaborate in delivering its mandate since inception. Most recently, it also partnered with the USAID in the delivery of the Caribbean Community Resilience Fund (CCRF), a blended finance fund aimed at mobilizing capital from commercial, development finance institutions, and impact investors towards climate resilience and economic sustainability in the Caribbean region.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Afreximbank.

Business

Canada–Africa Financing Forum to Convene Investors and Decision-Makers in Cape Town – May 14, 2026

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Ateau Zola

This timely Forum comes on the heels of commitments announced by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, deepening Canada–Africa commercial ties and expanding investment partnerships

TORONTO, Canada, April 29, 2026/APO Group/ –The Canada–Africa Chamber of Business (https://CanadaAfrica.ca) will convene investors, financiers, policymakers, and industry leaders in Cape Town on May 14, 2026 for the Canada–Africa Financing Forum—a high-level platform focused on unlocking capital and accelerating deal flow across African markets.

Registration is open (http://apo-opa.co/4vZN6oV)

This timely Forum comes on the heels of commitments announced by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, deepening Canada–Africa commercial ties and expanding investment partnerships. The program connects leaders from venture capital, private equity, and institutional investors to examine where capital is moving—and where the next opportunities lie—supported by Canadian project partners with proven capacity to deliver on-the-ground.

Delegates will engage directly with finance and investment decision-makers, following the program opening, featuring messages from President Cyril Ramaphosa and Prime Minister Mark Carney, in addition to high-level Ministerial representation.

This Forum is about capital deployment, not just conversation

“This Forum is about capital deployment, not just conversation,” said Garreth Bloor, President of the Canada–Africa Chamber of Business. “We are convening investors, institutions, and project leaders who are actively shaping transactions across Africa—and connecting them directly with Canadian partners who are ready to work together.”

The Canada–Africa Financing Forum reflects the Chamber’s role as a privately financed, market-led platform advancing Canada-Africa trade and investment through world-class networking and information-sharing events.

Why Attend

  • Direct access to active dealmakers and capital allocators
  • Insights into where capital is being deployed and key players delivering major projects
  • Opportunities to build partnerships across Canada and African markets
  • Participation in a curated, high-level environment focused on execution

Secure Your Place

Space is limited and demand is strong.

Apply to secure your place (http://apo-opa.co/4vXb9oz)

Read More and View the Program (http://apo-opa.co/4vZN6oV)

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Canada-Africa Chamber of Business.

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ORUN and 1xBET Partner to Support a Dynamic Creative Africa

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MIR Holding

During the MASA 2026 edition, held from April 11 to 18, 2026, ORUN and 1xBET implemented the We Champion Talent program, an initiative aimed at promoting African talent and advancing the development of Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs)

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, April 28, 2026/APO Group/ –As part of the Innovation Village co-organized with MASA at the Palais de la Culture in Abidjan from April 14 to 18, ORUN (https://ORUN.Africa) announces the rollout of its partnership with 1xBET to support a creative Africa that is structuring itself, professionalizing, and scaling across the continent.

We aim to demonstrate that it is possible to support African talent, narratives, and creative ecosystems over the long term, with ambition and consistency

Designed as a space of convergence between heritage, innovation, and knowledge transmission, the Innovation Village features scenography crafted by Ivorian artisans, a program of panels and masterclasses on creative industries, an immersive experience produced by Orun Studios, and a major institutional highlight on April 17. Its narrative platform is built around three pillars: memory, structure, and transmission. The initiative aims to position cultural and creative industries as an economic driver for the continent.

“The Innovation Village was conceived as an act of construction. By partnering with organizations such as 1xBET, we aim to demonstrate that it is possible to support African talent, narratives, and creative ecosystems over the long term, with ambition and consistency,” said Habyba Thiero, CEO of Africa Currency Network and President of ORUN.

This vision aligns with ORUN’s broader ambition to produce, structure, and internationalize African creative industries through events, content, and strategic partnerships.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of ORUN, part of African Currency Network (ACN).

 

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MIR Holding Reaffirms Its Commitment to African Creative Industries Alongside ORUN at Marché des Arts du Spectacle Africain d’Abidjan (MASA) 2026

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MIR Holding

More than event support, this partnership reflects a commitment to backing platforms capable of structuring value chains, increasing the visibility of talent, and fostering the emergence of strong African creative infrastructures

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, April 28, 2026/APO Group/ –On the occasion of MASA 2026, held from April 11 to 18 in Abidjan, MIR Holding (https://MIRHolding.odoo.com) reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the growth of African creative industries by partnering with ORUN as part of the Innovation Village, hosted at the Palais de la Culture in Abidjan. This presence reflects a clear intention to support the scaling of cultural and creative industries so they can fully contribute to job creation and value generation across the continent.

 

Co-organized by ORUN and MASA, the Innovation Village brought together over several days scenography designed by Ivorian artisans, a program of panels and masterclasses dedicated to creative industries, an immersive experience produced by Orun Studios, and a key institutional highlight on April 17.

At MIR Holding, we believe that Africa’s future will also be shaped by its ability to structure its narratives, its talent, and its creative value chains

Built around three pillars — memory, structure, and transmission — the initiative carried a renewed ambition for culture: positioning it as a concrete lever for economic structuring and African projection.

By supporting this initiative, MIR Holding aligns with a broader dynamic aimed at strengthening connections between creation, entrepreneurship, content, youth, and growth ecosystems. More than event support, this partnership reflects a commitment to backing platforms capable of structuring value chains, increasing the visibility of talent, and fostering the emergence of strong African creative infrastructures. MIR Holding stands among the main partners of the Village, alongside Africa Currency Network and other stakeholders engaged in this vision.

“With ORUN, we are not only seeking to make culture visible. We aim to help provide it with a framework, a reach, and a trajectory. What is at stake here is the continent’s ability to better transform its creative energy into sustainable value, real opportunities, and influence,” said Habyba Thiero, CEO of Africa Currency Network and President of ORUN.

Mouhamed Dieng, President of MIR Holding, added: “Supporting Africa’s creative industries is not about backing a secondary sector. It is about investing in one of the continent’s most powerful spaces for storytelling, youth, innovation, and competitiveness. At MIR Holding, we believe that Africa’s future will also be shaped by its ability to structure its narratives, its talent, and its creative value chains.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of MIR Holding.

 

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